The Systematic Participation Program is the process of institutionalizing participatory planning within a municipal or regional authority through building internal capacity for a participation coordinator(s). The result is a trained staff with the capacity to manage the participatory component of projects from A to Z.

Who is the Program for?

For regions and municipalities that know the importance of sustainable development and that taking into account the needs of the whole area, organizations, communities, groups, and individuals is essential.

For regions and municipalities that want to incorporate a participatory planning agenda as a crucial part of their institutions’ functioning and realize that building internal capacity will contribute to effective management of participatory projects and continuous positive collaboration with individual stakeholders and the public.

For regions and municipalities, that are either beginners or advanced in terms of participatory planning. It does not matter if you have 0 or 100 participatory projects under your belt, the program is tailored to you.

For regions and municipalities that have a long-term and sustainable vision. Who want to improve their processes and thus contribute to the development of local society.

The recommended duration of the Program is 18 months. We start by assessing the current level of the authority in the field of participatory planning and selecting a suitable candidate for the Participation Coordinator position. After, we continue by setting up a training program in the field of participation, which is tailored to the specific needs of each authority and Coordinator. Know-how in the field of participatory planning is transferred through regular training, workshops and learning-by-doing on specific participatory processes.

At the end of the 18-month process, the coordinator is able to independently and effectively set up and manage participatory projects internally within the office across agendas, and the office understands the values of participation and has processes in place to work effectively with the coordinator on participation.

Before deciding to introduce a participation coordinator position to your office, we advise you to conduct participation diagnostics in the office itself.